Language as Metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that implies comparison between two unlike entities by equation.

Some examples of metaphors: The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas The Highwayman ~ Alfred Noyes Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles . . . Hamlet ~ William Shakespeare It is particularly clear from this second example that understanding of metaphors is often reliant on cultural attitudes, knowledge or understanding. For the metaphor to make sense, we must be aware that fortune in this context means fate or chance, (as opposed to immense wealth, for example). Only then does the negative association make sense. For those brought up in cultures which do not regard chance as fickle, malicious or negative, even the recognition that we are referring to chance will not lead to understanding of the metaphor. Someone from such a culture would merely regard the metaphor as nonsensical. The connection between words and the objects they describe follows the same pattern. Consider the following examples: rojo aupaluktok whero (hng) Spanish Inuit Maori Chinese (unsimplified)

Activity: Find anything, beyond the fact that they are written, which all these words have in common, either visually or in terms of the way they sound (play sound files on whiteboard by following links in underlined words). All of these words can be translated into English as red. Look at the examples from languages you cannot speak. Is there any relationship between the meaning and the sound or appearance of the word? It seems clear that the connection between these words and the colour they describe is arbitrary. These words can therefore be defined as metaphorical: they are literally figures of speech that imply comparison between two unlike entities by equation. In each case, the sound or symbols are equated to a colour. Further Discussion: Possible discussion of the culturally and individually contingent nature of colour and links to Perception could be explored.